Leadership

Motivated and strategic, with a wealth of experience in both insurance and health care

MMIC’s senior leadership team includes a wealth of experienced insurance professionals with broad industry experience. These leaders are at the forefront of guiding the future of MMIC and the industry as a whole, collaborating and working with industry peers to improve health care and insurance.

In addition to providing strategic oversight and motivation, they contribute to the collective good of the company and the industry—by serving on councils and boards and leading volunteer efforts in our communities.

More than 16 years of executive leadership experience at three different PIAA companies

A veteran of the United States Air Force

An insurance professional with more than three decades of experience in the industry, Bill McDonough became the third CEO of MMIC Group in June 2008. He began his career as an underwriter and spent time as an independent agent before rejoining the corporate side of the business.

During my travels to Wyoming, I took some advice from a bison — Maintain a clear vision, stand your ground, have a tough hide, cherish your space and others, have a strong spirit, roam wild and free, and let the chips fall where they may.

With experience in all aspects of the medical professional liability insurance industry, Bill has held leadership positions in three PIAA companies: chief operating officer of Medical Mutual of Maine, president and CEO of Princeton Insurance Company, and president and CEO of MMIC. He is currently president and CEO of Constellation.

Bill holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing and a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Temple University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He also earned the Professional Liability Insurance Underwriter designation.

Lori Trygg, JD

Senior Vice President andChief Legal Officer

Joined MMIC in 2001

Serves on the boards of the Minnesota chapter of ACCA and the Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union

Lori Trygg joined MMIC in 2001 as vice president and general counsel with more than 25 years of experience in insurance and financial services. In this role, Lori serves as chief legal counsel and advisor to the CEO and senior executives and is responsible for corporate compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Before joining MMIC, Lori served as corporate counsel and assistant corporate secretary for MSI Insurance and was a claim manager for a Minnesota subsidiary of Mutual of Omaha.

I enjoy providing legal support as MMIC grows, with a focus on collaboration and success for all parties involved.

Lori’s professional memberships include the Minnesota State Bar Association, American Health Lawyers Association, Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, the Association of Corporate Counsel of America (ACCA) and the Physician Insurer’s Association of America. She currently sits on the boards of the Minnesota chapter of ACCA and the Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union.

Her academic record includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota, Duluth and a Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Laurie Drill-Mellum, MD, MPH

Chief Medical Officer of Constellation

Joined MMIC in 2012 as the company’s first Chief Medical Officer

Board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician

Comprehensive Advanced Life Support Instructor

Laurie Drill-Mellum joined MMIC in 2012 as the company’s first Chief Medical Officer. Previously, she practiced emergency medicine at Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia, Minnesota for 21 years. During her tenure, she held roles as both Chief of the Medical Staff as well as medical director of the emergency department. She is also a Comprehensive Advanced Life Support Instructor.

Who would expect an insurance company to focus on well-being, resiliency, empathy, and communication? We’re doing all that and more, because we know if we support physicians, they will deliver better and safer care.

Laurie is deeply involved in her industry. She is a Fellow and member of the American College of Emergency Physicians. She is a member of the Minnesota Medical Association, the Twin Cities Medical Society, the American Medical Association, and the American and Minnesota Holistic Physician Associations.

Laurie is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a Bush Medical Fellow. She also completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. Laurie holds an undergraduate degree in anthropology from Pomona College. She attended the University of Minnesota Medical School, where she also obtained a master's degree in public health. She is a graduate of the Emergency Medicine Residency Program at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

Nick Ghiselli

Vice President andLegal Counsel

Joined MMIC in 2013

Juris Doctor University of Denver 1996

Enjoys skiing and flyfishing

Nick Ghiselli is vice president of legal for Constellation companies as well as general counsel for UMIA Insurance, Inc. He is the current board president of Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics, Trustee for the Denver Bar Association Board of Trustees, Denver Bar Association representative to the Colorado Bar Association Board of Governors, Denver Bar Foundation board member, and a fellow of the Colorado Bar Foundation. Nick is also chair of the Interprofessional Committee which fosters relationships between the medical and legal community. He completed his undergraduate degree from the University of San Diego and his law degree from the University of Denver College of Law.

Jay Koepsell

Vice PresidentFinance and Controller

Joined MMIC in 1998

Certified Public Accountant

Plays golf and basketball and is an avid fan of local sports teams

Jay Koepsell joined MMIC in 1998 and has served in financial management as assistant controller, controller, and assistant vice president and controller prior to assuming his current role as vice president, finance and controller in 2011. Jay provides accounting and financial management leadership to MMIC, its subsidiaries and the risk retention group.

We practice good stewardship of the resources entrusted to us, not only to maintain financial strength, but also to advance the mission of our customers to provide the best possible care to their patients.

Prior to joining MMIC, Jay held a variety of accounting, finance and management positions in insurance, banking and public accounting. His experience spans three decades with 23 of those years devoted to the insurance industry. He is professionally affiliated with the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Twin Cities chapter of Financial Executives International.

Jay passed the Certified Public Accountant examination and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration from Augustana College and an MBA from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.

Jeff Pearson

Vice President, Client Relations

Joined MMIC in 2003

Spent 14 years in leadership positions at St. Paul Companies (now Travelers) in the Global Healthcare Division

Certified Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU)

Jeff Pearson joined the MMIC team in 2003 as an underwriting manager, was promoted to assistant vice president of underwriting in 2009, was promoted vice president of underwriting in 2010 and became vice president, client relations in 2017. Jeff leads a team of underwriting experts in providing innovative insurance solutions for the health care industry. He is responsible for product development, risk evaluation, and determining appropriate terms and conditions associated with customer risk.

MMIC is more to me than just day-to-day business operations. Our underlying belief is that, in the long run, we can play a part in improving health care delivery.

Prior to joining MMIC, Jeff spent 14 years at St. Paul Companies in the Global Healthcare Division, holding several leadership positions in underwriting and business development.

Jeff started his 30-year career in the health care insurance industry with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and economics from St. Cloud State University. Jeff also holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation.

Tim joined MMIC in 2001 as a Sr. Claim Manager. He has held several roles in his 14 years with the organization, including Director and Assistant Vice President of Claim. In 2015 he was promoted to Vice President of Claim, where he oversees claim operations for MMIC, UMIA and Arkansas Mutual. Tim leads a team of claim professionals responsible for managing claims in 15 states, and protecting the professional reputations of our valued health care practitioners.

Prior to joining MMIC, Tim spent 15 years at St. Paul Companies, holding several leadership positions in claim. While at The St. Paul, Tim managed claim teams from around the country, which built his expertise in many jurisdictions.

Tim earned his Bachelor’s degree in business with a major in marketing from UW-Milwaukee. He serves on the board of directors for the non-profit group Connected Marriage.

Julie Stafford

Executive, Strategic Alliance

Joined MMIC in 1998

Has nearly 30 years of insurance industry experience under her belt

Serves on the Minnesota Joint Underwriting Association’s Board of Directors

Armed with nearly 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, Julie Stafford has worked at MMIC since 1998. She works collaboratively with senior leaders and members of the board of directors on strategic planning initiatives.

At the heart of our work is our desire to support the efforts of health care professionals and their patients. A company mission doesn’t get any better than that.

Before assuming the role of Senior Vice President, Business Development in 2013, she served as Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Communications. Prior to that, she was the Vice President of Underwriting for eight years. Her experience includes positions in sales and marketing, reinsurance and underwriting management for medical professional liability insurance carriers throughout Minnesota.

Julie currently serves on the Minnesota Joint Underwriting Association (JUA) board and is chair of the organization’s claim committee. She stays active in the industry by attending many conferences such as PIAA, PLUS, ASHRM, NPSF and Captive.

Julie received her bachelor's degree from Concordia University and her mini master’s in business administration from St. Thomas University.

Heidi Thom

Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy

Joined MMIC in 2015

First Corporate Strategist to join the company

Heidi Thom leads strategy development and execution, branding and market positioning for Constellation companies. She is a strategic marketing professional with more than 25 years of experience in consumer marketing, business-to-business marketing and executive leadership. She has successfully worked in both large and small corporate environments across a variety of industries including senior executive positions with Pillsbury, Land O’Lakes, Capella Education and Ecolab. She specializes in architecting, leading and driving organizational change, with key focus areas in enterprise strategy, brand development and team formation.

Heidi has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management from Minnesota State University – Moorhead and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

Carey Smith recently joined Constellation in September of 2017 from Blue Cross Blue Shield Minnesota. At Blue Cross, Carey was the Senior IT Leader responsible for core IT, strategic technology innovation and transformation. Carey delivered innovative solutions that leveraged artificial intelligence, the internet of things (IoT) and voice enabled cognitive capabilities to drive efficiency and an engaging consumer experience.

As part of the Constellation Leadership Council, and the technology leader for our innovation team, Carey is committed to delivering transformational emerging technology capabilities to drive business growth, achieve operational efficiencies, improve customer engagement and strengthen our brand.

Carey is an active participant and holds leadership positions on many boards, including the IoT Global Council, Dakota Woodlands, Barriers to Entry and Think IT CIO Forum.

Carey has Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology and Psychology from Montana State University in Billings.

Mel Sullivan, Ed.D.

Chief People Officer andExecutive, New Partner Development

Joined MMIC in 2016

Appointed as Chief People Officer in 2017

More than 25 years of executive clinical leadership

Avid runner, hiker, golfer and biker

Mel Sullivan came to Constellation from Twin Cities Orthopedics (TCO) in October 2016, where she had served as the Chief Operating Officer. She directed the merger of TCO and St. Croix Orthopaedics, which created one of the largest independent private practices in the country.

As Constellation’s first Chief People Officer, Mel is committed to supporting our people and focuses on advancing our talent strategies, building engagement and developing and supporting multiple teams. In her role as Executive, New Partner Development, Mel is responsible for assessing the industry and market space, proposing and locating partners and collaborators and developing an external advisory council.

Mel is an active participant in a host of community and professional enterprises, including the Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club, Adjunct Professor at the University of Minnesota, Graduate mentor at the University of St. Thomas, Secretary for Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater, MN, Past President of United Way Washington County East, and several other leadership roles in not-for-profit organizations.

Mel has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Doane College, an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a Doctorate in Organization Development from the University of St. Thomas.

Ryan Crawford

Chief Actuary and Vice President, Underwriting

Joined MMIC in 2017

More than 10 years of actuarial and underwriting experience, bringing insights and analysis to business decisions

Enjoys playing racquetball, traveling, and spending time with two energetic young sons

Ryan Crawford joined MMIC from the Erie Insurance Group in 2017. Ryan started his career at Erie Insurance within the actuarial department, where most recently he served as Director, Commercial Lines Quality and Analytics, where he was responsible for strategic execution of risk improvement. More than 600,000 policyholders have benefitted from his team’s initiatives. Ryan also spent time working for a reinsurance company that focused on medical professional liability.

Ryan joined MMIC as Chief Actuary, and was quickly promoted to add Vice President, Underwriting to his area of responsibility. In addition, Ryan is also the leader of our customer product and pricing team. Ryan and his team keep ahead of industry changes and analyze customer risk at both the individual level as well as at the aggregate level, for MMIC and other members of Constellation. He and his team are also responsible for underwriting, transformational pricing strategies, broker and customer relationship and supporting new sales strategies.

Ryan started his career in the insurance industry with a Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University, is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society, and a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter. Ryan has served on the admissions committee of the Casualty Actuarial Society for several years.

Angie Griffith

Vice President, Customer Acquisition

Joined MMIC in 2016

More than 15 years of experience in sales leadership, customer segment marketing, business operations, finance and private equity

Angie joined Constellation in 2016 after a successful career in sales, marketing and finance at both Ecolab and AllianceBernstein. Before coming to Constellation, Angie was a rising leader with Ecolab’s Healthcare division. Earlier, she played key management roles in equity research at Alliance Bernstein, a Chicago-based global investment management firm. In both organizations, she was instrumental in quickly identifying and researching market changes and opportunities, and successfully developing strategies and leading teams to accelerate growth.

As Vice President, Customer Acquisition, Angie and her team will create long-term growth strategies, deliver innovation to the organization, all while helping our organization flourish through a thoroughly integrated sales and marketing process.

Angie has a Bachelor of Science degree from North Dakota State University and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.